Archive of Our Own ^beta

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In hindsight, Taehyung should have realized his plan would backfire. But who can blame him for trying?

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Taehyung bursts through the dorm door, a flyer wildly flapping as he shakes it in the air. The room is small, with two beds on either side of the wall and two desks facing a window between them. Posters and polaroids decorate the walls on both sides of the room, and papers, books, and pens litter the surface of one of the desks. On the floor is a smattering of clothes, though most of them seem to live on the left side of the room.

While the left side of the room looks as though a tornado has run through it, with unkempt bed sheets, a tower of shoes that are one slight breeze away from falling over, and a variety of fashion magazines that seem to be missing more pages than they originally had, the right side is more organized chaos. And in the middle of that organized chaos rests a lump buried under a pile of blankets. Just a tuft of blonde hair pokes out indicating the human sleeping underneath them.

When his eyes land on his target, Taehyung rushes over to the single bed and jumps on top of his roommate and childhood friend, Park Jimin.

“Jiminie,” Taehyung squeals in Jimin’s ear as he sprawls out on top of his best friend.

Jimin groans under Taehyung’s weight but makes no move to escape Taehyung’s lanky limbs.

“Jimin,” Taehyung chants, undeterred. “Jiminooo, Jimannn, Chimchimchimmy, Jiminjiminjimingle bells, Ji—”

Taehyung shrieks with delight when the lump beneath him finally moves, pushing him onto the floor. He rubs his aching ass, then eagerly scrambles onto his knees, planting his hands on top of Jimin’s mattress, and leaning forward so that his face is directly in front of his friend’s.

Jimin glares at him with one eye open, but Taehyung is relentless.

“Jimin, get up! This is an emergency.”

With that, Jimin shoots up in his bed. His eyes are still puffy with sleep, and he rubs them as he attempts to detangle himself from the blankets. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong!” Taehyung grabs the flyer that had fallen onto the floor next to him. “In fact, everything is perfect!”

Jimin relaxes a bit, sinking back against the headboard. His eyes flutter closed. “Then what’s the emergency?”

Taehyung excitedly thrusts the flyer towards Jimin. “Look!”

Jimin reluctantly peels his eyes open again and reads the piece of paper in front of him. “Skate Night?”

Taehyung enthusiastically nods.

“You are way too cheerful in the mornings, I swear,” Jimin mumbles as he closes his eyes once more.

“And you love me for it!” Taehyung exclaims, choosing to ignore the ‘definitely not’ he hears Jimin mutter under his breath. “Besides, how can I not be cheerful when the most amazing thing happened?”

“You don’t even know how to skate.”

“Semantics.” Taehyung pushes his hand out as though he were brushing away the negativity.

“I still don’t understand why you’re so excited,” Jimin pouts.

“Because,” Taehyung says as he crawls back onto Jimin’s bed and snuggles up next to him, “I have a date.”

Finally, Jimin fully wakes up and he turns to face Taehyung, a smile sprawling across his face. “You have a date?”

“Yup!” A tiny breath escapes his mouth when Jimin jumps on top of him.

“You have a date?” He repeats as he envelopes Taehyung in a tight hug. “Look at you, Kim Taehyung.”

Taehyung giggles. “I have a date!” he happily shouts. “With Hoseok-hyung!”

Jimin pulls back. His mouth is opened in shock. “No way! You finally asked him out? Look at my little Taehyungie growing up.” Jimin wipes a mock tear from his eye. “But wait — what does that have to do with Skate Night?”

Taehyung mischievously grins at Jimin.

Jimin’s smile falters and he scrunches his nose. “No, Taehyung. That’s your date? Need I remind you again that you don’t know how to skate?”

Taehyung grabs onto Jimin’s hands. “It’s the perfect plan, Jimin!”

“Tae, I really think you should think this through. You don’t even know–”

“I know! That’s why it’s the perfect plan!” Taehyung can feel his eyes shining with excitement. 

Strangely, Jimin doesn’t seem as thrilled. But he hasn’t heard the plan yet. Surely, he will see Taehyung’s genius once he lays it out.

Jimin wiggles out of Taehyung’s grip and places his hands on either side of Taehyung’s face.

“Tae, baby. I love you with my entire being, but you have to listen to me.” 

Taehyung eagerly nods. Well, as much as he can with Jimin still holding onto his cheeks. 

“You are as graceful as Bambi on ice. I’ve seen you trip on air – multiple times! And remember my cousin’s party? The one where you somehow managed to dance yourself off the porch and break your wrist?”

Taehyung playfully scoffs. “We were twelve! It happens!”

“And that was on solid ground! You don’t even know how to skate. What do you plan on doing once you put the roller skates on?”

Taehyung’s eyes sparkle as his smile grows.

“Just imagine,” he sighs wistfully, “I’m on the skate floor, Hobi by my side. He sees me struggling, grabs my waist, pulls me in close, and whispers, ‘I got you’. He starts skating backwards, never letting go of my hands as we stare lovingly into each other’s eyes. It’s magical.”

Jimin finally lets go of Taehyung and crosses his arms. He still seems a bit wary of Taehyung’s plan. But really, what could go wrong? It’s foolproof!

“And if he also doesn’t know how to skate?”

Taehyung laughs. “That’s impossible. Hobi’s a dancer. He knows how to move his body. He won’t let me fall.”

“You’re a disaster,” Jimin concedes. “At least try to learn the basics before your date?”

“Sure, sure,” Taehyung mindlessly answers, his mind already floating back to his perfect date scenario.

Jung Hoseok is the perfect human. He literally embodies sunshine. The only time Taehyung has ever seen him without a smile on his face is when he’s tearing up the dance floor, moving his perfect, lithe body in rhythm with the beat of the music. Taehyung has never seen anyone move with so much grace yet so much strength at the same time. And Taehyung is best friends with Jimin. (Though, Jimin is a bit of a clutz when he’s not dancing, so maybe that isn’t a fair comparison.)

Anyway, Hoseok is perfect. The day when he told Taehyung to call him hyung — well, Taehyung doesn’t remember much else from that day because in his excitement, he quickly scampered away — and somehow managed to run head-long into a large metal pole that he could have sworn hadn’t been there before. Much of the rest of the day had been spent in the infirmary while a major migraine ravaged his mind. But his Hobi-hyung had carried him in his deceptively strong arms all the way there!

That had been months ago, and Taehyung’s crush on his hyung has only grown more and more with each passing day. Hoseok is not only talented, but he is also kind and smart. When the other students need help with something, he always takes the time to teach them. While Taehyung only has one class with Hoseok, he sees him often in the dance studios when he hangs out with Jimin. (And, well, maybe he started visiting Jimin a bit more often when Hoseok came into the picture.)

And don’t even get him started on Hoseok’s beautiful elven features! His face is long, bone structure immaculate! And when he smiles, his lips turn into the biggest, prettiest heart Taehyung has ever seen. He’s sure it reflects Hoseok’s own beautiful heart. Taehyung wants to melt every time he is in his hyung’s presence. Hoseok just exudes warmth and happiness and love.

And now — now that the perfect event had popped up — Taehyung had managed to find the courage to ask Hoseok on a date. It was a bit nerve wracking since Hoseok’s friend, Yoongi, was standing next to him with an unreadable expression on his face the whole time Taehyung stuttered out the question. And surprisingly, his older brother, Seokjin, was there as well (a new development that Taehyung did not find out about until he questioned him later that night – apparently the two of them had become friends after the Pole Incident, which was both embarrassing and helpful, he supposes). 

But Hoseok had said yes! Luckily, Taehyung did not run away in his excitement again. Or well, when he did, he made sure there were no metal poles around to hinder his enthusiasm.

Skate Night was going to be perfect! Nothing could ruin it. Not even Taehyung’s nonexistent skating skills. Because Hoseok would be by his side. And Hoseok was perfect. Not a flaw in sight! Of course, he would know how to skate. He knew how to do everything else.

It’s the perfect plan!

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The days leading up to Skate Night blur together, filled with classes, exams, club activities, and work. Taehyung has no time to worry about his lack of skating abilities, nor has he found any time to even attempt to try and learn. But he’s not worried, not when he knows Hoseok will be right by his side.

While Taehyung may not have time to work on his skating skills, he does spend most of his free time putting together the perfect skating outfit that will not only show off his most important assets (his ass, of course), but also dazzle Hoseok into falling in love with him. The perfect plan, honestly.

Taehyung is studying fashion design, so this is the perfect opportunity to not only practice his craft but create the most impressive outfit that flawlessly fits into the theme of Skate Night — 70’s disco.

He shoves aside the random items on his desk and throws the emerald green fabric on top of the surface. While the fabric was a bit pricier than he would normally spend, this is a special occasion that could potentially alter the course of his entire life. So, he figured eating ramen for the next month would be well worth it if everything ends up working out in his favor.

Once he has traced and cut the fabric into the pieces he needs, he lugs the heavy sewing machine up onto his desk and begins the actual sewing. Luckily, Jimin has classes all day, so Taehyung is able to use his (much cleaner) desk as well to complete his project.

Taehyung doesn’t notice the light begin to fade, nor does he realize just how late it is or how his stomach has been grumbling for at least the last hour or so. In fact, he’s so concentrated on creating the perfect outfit, that he just about jumps out of his skin when two tiny but firm hands land on his shoulders.

“Still working on it?” Jimin asks from behind him.

Taehyung hums, his heart finally calming down after that little scare. He hunches over a bit more, trying to fix the stitching in a certain section.

“It’s looking good,” Jimin says.

He squeezes Taehyung’s shoulders, causing a small moan to escape Taehyung’s mouth. He hadn’t realized how stiff he was.

“When was the last time you got up from your seat?”

Taehyung shrugs. “Maybe an hour or two ago,” he mumbles, still focused on the fabric and thread before him.

“I see. And what time was that at?”

“Mmm, maybe ten?”

“PM?”

Taehyung laughs, though he doesn’t lift his head. 

“Don’t be ridiculous; this morning.” 

He sticks his tongue out as he concentrates on looping the thread through the fabric once more. Jimin’s hands leave his shoulders, and Taehyung must stop himself from whining at the loss of contact. Jimin’s fingers have always been a bit magical and for some reason Taehyung’s shoulders and neck ache.

“Taehyung-ah.”

Taehyung startles when the chair he’s in swivels away from the desk and towards Jimin.

“What are you doing,” Taehyung whines, glancing behind him at his almost complete outfit.

“Get up,.” Jimin crosses his arms. 

There’s a stern look on his face — the kind that tells him Taehyung is not going to be able to get out of Jimin’s demands. But still, he tries.

“Jimin,” Taehyung whines once more, drawing out each syllable in his name. “I’m almost done.”

“You can finish tomorrow,.” Jimin’s eyes narrow at Taehyung’s pout. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“But what if I don’t have time to finish it?”

“Do you know what time it is?”

“Noon?” Taehyung’s nose scrunches. “Why are you home so early?”

Jimin sighs; it’s loud and dramatic — but that’s to be expected of his over-the-top best friend. He then rubs his adorable little hands down his face in exasperation before fixing his somewhat intimidating stare on Taehyung.

“It’s after midnight, Taehyung-ah.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen and he sheepishly chuckles. “Oh. I didn’t realize.”

Jimin grabs onto Taehyung’s arms and hauls him out of the chair. Taehyung’s knees buckle from sitting down so long, but before he can hit the floor, Jimin catches him, and throws him over his shoulder.

“Where're we going?” Taehyung giggles as he half hangs upside down in Jimin’s arms.

“You need to eat,” Jimin grumbles as he heads out of their room.

“Who knew someone so tiny could be so strong,” Taehyung jokes as he wiggles against Jimin’s hold.

“You do,” Jimin deadpans. “Every. Single. Time.”

“Don’t kink shame me. I can’t help if I like to be thrown around like a ragdoll.”

Jimin swats Taehyung’s ass. “You need a boyfriend.”

“I’m working on it!” Taehyung’s smile grows. “Hey, you think Hoseok could toss me around like this? He’s gotta be strong, right? I bet he could pin me against a wall and —”

“O—kay,” Jimin interrupts and tosses Taehyung onto the common room’s couch. “That’s enough of that. Your delirious ass needs some food in your system.”

Taehyung snuggles into the pillows on the couch and grins up at Jimin, who sticks his finger in Taehyung’s face. Taehyung’s eyes cross slightly as he follows its movement.

“Stay here. I’m going to make some ramen.”

“Thank you, Jiminie~” Taehyung sings at his friend’s retreating back. 

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Taehyung is a bundle of nerves when Skate Night finally arrives. His outfit had finally been completed and turned out exactly as he had envisioned it. The emerald green pants fit snug in all the right places before flaring out at the bottom. He used the same fabric for his vest, with four gold buttons held together at the front. The vest is just tight enough to highlight the slight curve of his waist, while still giving him enough room to move around in (a necessity given the activity he will be doing in it). Underneath the vest is a collared long sleeve shirt with faint lines running along it.

The tie was a bit more of a challenge. Taehyung had wanted to find the perfect print to go with the rest of the outfit, and it wasn’t until two days ago when one finally caught his eye. It is both sophisticated and sexy, if he does say so himself. The brown tone complements the green of his suit, and there are varying sized diagonal shapes in a similar green and gold.

He’s draped a couple bracelets around his wrist and added a couple of rings to his fingers to spruce them up a bit. Earlier in the afternoon, he had taken way too long to perfect the swoop of his caramel golden hair. But with the right amount of hairspray and Jimin’s expertise, they had managed to make it look absolutely dashing. Taehyung blushes at the thought of Hoseok thinking that.

Would Hoseok like his outfit?

Would Hoseok like him?

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When Taehyung and Jimin finally arrive at the venue, the place is already booming. A large sign above the entrance reads “Stardust” in dramatic letters. A burst of purple spikes encircles it and there are a variety of variously colored stars and other shapes around the border. Though Taehyung has passed by this place multiple times in the past, he’s never really noticed it before. But now, it’s clear that this is the place to be. Music can be heard from the parking lot and people are both mingling outside the doors and making their way in.

Taehyung bends down to check himself in a random car’s side view mirror and attempts to fix his slightly wind-swept hair. Jimin grabs his shoulders and spins him around. He grabs Taehyung’s hands and gives them a quick squeeze.

“You look great,” he reassures him with a smile. “Absolutely breathtaking, definitely the second hottest guy here.”

“Jimin…” Taehyung whines, though the tension leaves his shoulders, and he feels a bit more at ease.

Jimin checks his phone, “It looks like Jungkook and Namjoon are already inside. We should head in and get you ready for the skate floor.”

Taehyung takes a calming breath before straightening up and grabbing Jimin’s hand.

“Here goes nothing.”

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Standing up is a bit difficult. That’s the first thing Taehyung notices.

When they had entered the building, they had met with their two other friends, Jungkook and Namjoon, who had ushered them over to the skate rentals booth. The line had been way too long, and Taehyung’s nerves continued to grow with each passing moment.

He needed to already be on the skating rink floor before Hoseok arrived so that he didn’t scare him off right away. He had purposely arrived early for this very purpose, and yet the world seemed to be holding a grudge over him. Didn’t university students usually arrive fashionably late? Why did they all have to come at the same time as him?

But finally, finally, he had his skates in hand and was able to follow Namjoon and Jungkook as they led him and Jimin to the table they had secured.

And now, here he stands at the edge of the rink. Or, well, kinda stands. More like a lean.

His feet feel like they are going to slip out from under him any second, causing him to bend closer to the ground. Luckily, there’s a half wall that lines the outer edge of the rink, so he clings onto it as hard as he can. Knuckles white and knees bent, perhaps this isn’t Taehyung’s best look. He needs to get it together before Hoseok arrives.

The lights strobe above him. A disco ball hangs above the middle of the rink, creating a dazzling array of lights against the skaters. There’s a strip of purple lights against the far wall that guides the skaters around the oblong rink. Another strip of multi-colored lights forms a star on the ceiling.

The music is loud. Taehyung can feel the vibrations beneath his skin. In any other situation, he would be the first on the floor, dancing to his heart’s content. But at this moment, he is frozen. Stuck in place by two sets of wheels that are strapped to his feet.

“Are you sure this is safe?” he loudly asks his friends who are all confidently standing on their own skates.

Jimin is to the left of him. His blonde hair is slicked back. A green and white satin jacket sits atop a white tee tucked into flared jeans. His eyes keep flitting towards Jungkook, who appears a bit oblivious at the moment.

Namjoon stands before Taehyung, his feet already on the rink as he holds his hands out for Taehyung to grab onto. Namjoon, his tree of a friend who is even clumsier than Taehyung himself, has already shown off his impressive skating skills, gliding throughout the rink at least five times in the time it took for Taehyung to get from the table to the rink entrance.

How embarrassing.

“Just take his hand, hyung,” Jungkook encourages. “Jimin and I will follow behind to make sure you don’t fall.”

Taehyung glances at his best friend, who blushes at Jungkook’s words. Maybe once Taehyung has mastered skating, he can subtly nudge Jimin and Jungkook together. That’s more in line with his skill set anyway.

Taehyung shakes his head and straightens. He can do this.

With a bit of a wobble, he glides his right foot towards the dip that leads to the rink. His left foot drags behind, and Taehyung’s not sure if he’s supposed to lift it or what but soon it starts slipping in the opposite direction of where he had intended it to go.

Jimin quickly grabs a hold of his hip, centering him a bit so that he moves forwards instead of backwards, and before he realizes it, Namjoon’s warm hands are wrapped around his own.

“You can do it,” he encouragingly says. “Just one foot in front of the other.”

Taehyung slides forward until he’s at the very edge of the dip. How in the world is he supposed to step down?

“We’ve got you,” Jungkook murmurs next to him. He grabs a hold of Taehyung’s elbow and nudges him forward.

As soon as Taehyung’s first skate hits the sleek rink floor, it slides away from him causing one leg to be outstretched, while the other still rests precariously on the outer edge.

Maybe this was a bad idea? That thought fleetingly passes through his mind, but he quickly dismisses it. If he sticks to his plan, he will be firmly held in Hoseok’s strong arms in no time. And once Hoseok is holding onto him tight, it’s only a matter of time before he falls in love with him. Obviously, it’s a foolproof plan.

So, he once more straightens (to the best of his ability), determination coursing through his veins. By the end of this night, Taehyung will have secured the most perfect kiss and the most perfect boyfriend.

“Okay,” Namjoon says, “we’re going to move forward now, okay?”

Taehyung’s tongue pokes through his teeth as he steels himself for the movement.

“Slightly bend your knees — not too much — and then balance your weight between both feet.”

“Make sure you keep your weight towards the balls of your feet,” Jungkook adds.

“And keep them parallel!” Jimin chimes in.

Taehyung awkwardly attempts to move his feet, keeping their instructions in mind. People zoom past them, but luckily his friends continue to keep their attention on him. He lifts a foot up and wobbles in place.

“Not like that, hyung.”

“You need to—”

Taehyung’s shoulders rise defensively, his jaw clenching at everything being thrown his way.

“Enough,” Namjoon interrupts. Taehyung’s head shoots up to look at him and he unsteadily places his foot back on the ground. Namjoon squeezes his hand. “I’ll take it from here. You two are just confusing him more.”

The two back away from them, though they still seem to stick close just in case. Taehyung’s heart swells with affection. His friends won’t let him fall, even when chastised by the leader of their little group.

“Alright, let’s try this again.” Namjoon’s dimples deepen when he smiles at Taehyung. “Jimin told me all about your plan, and while I admire your pluck, I still think you should learn the basics. Otherwise, you might hurt yourself — or Hoseok.”

Taehyung blushes and lowers his gaze. He supposes Namjoon is right — he would never want to unintentionally hurt Hoseok.

“You ready?”

Taehyung nods and glances around at the other skaters. How do they move so freely?

“Great. Ignore everyone else for now. Just concentrate on your own two feet.”

Taehyung glances down at the worn leather of his skates.

“You want them to form a ‘V’. That will help you move forward. The more open the ‘V’, the more you will accelerate; so, for now, let’s have you make a smaller one. Just remember — slow and steady wins the race.”

Taehyung studiously follows Namjoon’s instructions and clumsily moves his feet.

“Perfect! Now, you’re ready to move.”

For the next ten minutes or so, Namjoon continues to assist Taehyung with his skating, and though Taehyung is nowhere near perfect yet, he has managed to move on his own without Namjoon holding his hands! A huge feat, if Taehyung says so himself.

Jimin and Jungkook ended up wandering off about five minutes into Namjoon’s lesson, the two of them overlapping them more times than Taehyung could count, but each time they passed by, they whooped and hollered at Taehyung’s progress.

But before Taehyung truly feels ready, Namjoon’s phone chimes. He glances at it while Taehyung attempts a rather pathetic turn around the edge of the rink.

“They’re here,” Namjoon states, putting his phone back into his mustard yellow pants.

All of a sudden, all of the progress Taehyung has made in the last couple of minutes goes out the window; his arms windmilling as he falls flat on his ass.

“Hoseok’s here?” he meekly asks from the cold, hard ground.

“C’mon,” Namjoon says, extending his hand for Taehyung to grab. “Let’s get you ready for your ridiculous plan.”

Namjoon ends up dragging Taehyung towards the middle of the rink as Taehyung is too busy fretting about the fact that Hoseok is finally here. In this building. Probably grabbing his skates at this very moment.

Soon he’ll be gliding over to Taehyung, his beautiful face beaming at him, his slim, strong arms wrapped firmly around Taehyung’s waist, his lips puckered up, ready to be ravished. All Taehyung needs to do is lean in a little more —

“Taehyung-ah!”

Taehyung’s eyes startle open. When did he close them? And why is Namjoon’s face so close?

“Keep your eyes open or you’ll end up falling on your ass. Again.” Namjoon glances behind him. “Looks like they’re heading over. You sure you’re ready for this?”

Taehyung gulps. Is he ready? No, of course not.

Is he going to make a fool of himself? Well… probably.

Will he end up going home with the most perfect person he has ever met? He sure hopes so!

The plan is solid, he reminds himself. Nothing can go wrong.

Someone taps on his shoulder. Namjoon skates away.

The plan is in motion.

He can do this. 

He cannot do this. What was he thinking?

Turn, Taehyung. Just turn.

He’s not sure how he manages to do it, but somehow (with a wobble here and a tremble there) he turns to face the man of his dreams.

Hoseok stands before him, looking as radiant as ever. Red leather. That’s the first thing Taehyung’s eyes settle on. Hoseok is wearing a red leather shirt, tucked into tight belted blue jeans. The color makes his skin glow. His black hair artfully hangs in front of his face, a pair of groovy sunglasses sitting on top of his head.

Taehyung is speechless. His mouth hangs open as he takes in the heavenly creature before him. The lights from above dance across his face making the man before him look even more ethereal.

“Hey,” Hoseok finally says, breaking Taehyung’s trance.

His lips lift into a beautiful heart and Taehyung can feel his heart start to race. It’s finally happening.

“H-hey,” Taehyung answers. He clears his throat. “Hey,” he says once more. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Thanks for inviting me.” Hoseok’s gaze flits down Taehyung’s body. “That suit is incredible. Did you make it?”

Taehyung blushes and nods.

“You like it?” he asks coyly, peering through his long lashes up at Hoseok, though he somehow misses the large gulp Hoseok seems to take.

“You look magnificent.”

Taehyung’s heart does a little swoop, and it takes everything within him not to shake in delight. Skaters of all ages continue to skate around them, but Taehyung can only focus on one person.

“You’re also incredible,” Taehyung dreamily replies. His eyes widen when his mind catches up to his mouth. “I-I mean, you look amazing as well, hyung. I love the leather.” 

Great save, Taehyung.

Hoseok’s laugh is loud and uninhibited. It’s Taehyung’s favorite sound if he had to choose one, honestly. He glances down at his skates and then back at Taehyung, but Taehyung is too lost in his gaze to notice the nervousness that flits across his face.

As they stand there, the music changes to something much more upbeat and the crowd on the skating floor becomes fuller.

This is it, Taehyung realizes. The moment he’s been waiting for.

He glances at Hoseok’s leather-clad arms — they’re the perfect size for him to fit into. Hoseok’s thin fingers curl into his palm, and Taehyung can already imagine how warm and comforting they must be.

The music increases with Taehyung’s eagerness. He reaches forward, curling his fingers around Hoseok’s hand. (They are just as warm and soft as he imagined.) Hoseok grasps tightly, pulling Taehyung in slightly.

This is it!

“Lead the way,” he hears Hoseok say. 

Wait — shouldn’t that be his line?

As he begins to put his weight onto Hoseok, he realizes that Hoseok is leaning onto him as well. Strange , he thinks for a split second before he realizes that his feet are sliding in opposite directions once more — and Hoseok is not catching him before he falls.

In fact, it seems Hoseok’s legs are splitting as well in tandem with Taehyung and before he realizes it, they both end up in a heap of limbs on the hard floor. Taehyung must have closed his eyes at some point during the fall, because when he looks up, he sees Hoseok’s face closely hovering above him. His eyes are wide with shock and his mouth seems to be frozen in a silent scream.

Hoseok’s arms bracket his head, his body resting on Taehyung’s. Despite the precarious position, Taehyung can’t say he minds it.

“Hyung,” Taehyung breathes out when Hoseok makes no move to get up. “You were supposed to catch me.”

His mouth forms the cutest upside triangle when he frowns, his head tilting to the side.

“I thought you were going to catch me,” he says, confused.

“You’re the dancer, hyung,” Taehyung states. Clearly dancing and skating go hand-in-hand. “Obviously, you were supposed to lead me.”

“Wh— I don’t know how to skate.”

“But you’re a dancer,” Taehyung repeats, dumbfounded.

“You don’t know how to skate?” Hoseok asks. He makes no attempt to move. (Taehyung could get used to this position.)

“No. But you must, hyung. You’re a dan—”

“Why did you invite me here, then?”

Taehyung’s insides freeze, a chill rushing down his body. He frowns. “I-I thought —”

“I mean, why here and not somewhere else, then?” There’s a smile forming on Hoseok’s face, and it calms Taehyung’s nerves once more. “You know, somewhere a bit more… safe?”

“This idiot had this grand plan in which you would hold him in your arms as you skate off into the sunset,” Jimin chimes in from above them. 

Taehyung looks past them and notices that his traitorous friend is standing next to Jungkook and Namjoon, all clearly judging him. He huffs and pouts from where he still lays on the floor.

“But I don’t know how to skate,” Hoseok states once more.

Jimin snorts. “Clearly.”

He and Jungkook bend and grab Hoseok’s arms to help him stand back up.

Taehyung already misses his comforting weight on top of him. He’s quickly distracted from his disappointment, though, when Namjoon reaches down to pull him up. He staggers once he’s on both feet, his hands quickly shooting out to grab the closest stable object.

Namjoon exhales when Taehyung accidentally jabs him, but he’s quick to help Taehyung steady.

“Remember,” Namjoon assuredly whispers in his ear as his hands linger on Taehyung’s shoulders. “Slow and steady. You’ve got this.”

“Thanks, Joonie-hyung,” Taehyung says with a grateful smile. Namjoon squeezes his shoulders, and with a quick “fighting!” skates away.

Taehyung awkwardly chuckles when he realizes he’s been left with Hoseok alone in the middle of the skate floor.

“So…” Taehyung ruffles his hair.

“Should we try this again?” Hoseok asks, holding his hand out in offering.

“You still want to skate with me?”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Hoseok chuckles. “At least I’m not the worst skater here.”

He nudges Taehyung with his elbow, causing Taehyung’s arms to windmill in order to stay upright.

Hoseok gasps, his hands hovering above Taehyung, though clearly too afraid to touch him. “Shit, sorry! I didn’t mean —”

“I’d love to skate with you,” Taehyung interrupts, a little winded and a lot endeared.

“Great!” That heart smile is back — it’s Taehyung’s favorite thing to look at. “Should we…”

Hoseok nervously runs a hand through his soft-looking black hair. His eyes dart around the rink, presumably looking at all of the (better) skaters on the floor. His bottom lip gets pulled into his mouth and tiny dimples form on either side. The nerves are clearly written all over his expression. He’s just so cute, Taehyung can barely stand it.

“Hold my hand, hyung?”

Hoseok glances at Taehyung’s outstretched hand and then back at Taehyung’s face. The nerves seem to melt away as he starts to beam at Taehyung. There’s a sparkle in his soft, brown eyes and a light blush on his cheeks. If only Taehyung could lean in and —

Get a hold of yourself, Tae.

As soon as their hands intertwine, sparks ignite around them (though, that may be the disco lights above). Taehyung can’t help but think about how perfectly their hands connect together, as though Hoseok was the missing piece in his life just waiting for the right opportunity to combine as one.

He tries to recall his brief lesson with Namjoon and imparts that wisdom on Hoseok. It’s been about twenty minutes since then, and they’ve made progress. Well, kinda.

In that time, they have managed to go from the far side of the wall to the half wall across the way. Each time they’ve fallen, they switch who holds onto the bar along the wall for support, but it’s clear that neither of them are coordinated enough to get more than a few steps (glides?) before tumbling to the ground.

Their laughter increases with each fall, and at this point, they seem to have spent more time on their asses than their feet, but as long as Hoseok’s happy, Taehyung’s happy. And if Hoseok’s contagious laughter is anything to go by, then he seems to be having the time of his life. Which means Taehyung’s plan was a success, despite the hiccups along the way. (And Jimin doubted him. Ha!)

But the night is still young, and Taehyung is determined to improve his skills before it’s over so that he can impress Hoseok enough for the perfect kiss at the end of the night.

Perhaps he gets a bit too cocky about his abilities. It’s now been over an hour since Hoseok held onto his hand, and in that time, they’ve managed to make one entire loop around the rink! As they had gotten to the final stretch, they had even let go of the railing and glided like perfectly synced gazelles down the slippery wooden floor.

The lights had sparkled above, and the music cheered as crowds of people stepped to the side in awe of their skills. (The other skaters definitely were not rushing to get out of the way of two stampeding elephants doomed to collide into anything that got in their way).

Once they had rounded that last corner, Hoseok had given him the biggest hug imaginable. And they didn’t even fall!

So maybe Taehyung has gotten a bit too sure of himself. Riding cloud nine into blissed out oblivion, he decides it is time to show off his hard-earned skills.

He breaks away from Hoseok’s embrace (a difficult feat in itself), spreads his feet in a wide ‘V’ shape, and presses forward, bending his knees along the way to increase his acceleration even more.

He can hear Hoseok wallop and cheer behind him and that eggs him on further.

Faster.

And faster.

And maybe perhaps a bit too fast.

Slow down, Taehyung!

There’s a turn.

Oh no! How does he turn?

His legs spread apart. There’s a crowd ahead. Many small, tiny people.

Shit, children.

Why aren’t they moving out of his way?

He can hear Hoseok’s loud voice, but his thoughts are too jumbled to make it out clearly.

The children are approaching him. No — he’s approaching the children.

They look up. Stare.

Taehyung’s hands frantically wave; his expression laughable to all who aren’t in his disastrous path.

How does he stop again? Press forward on his skates?

Why is he going faster?

The children scatter with a scream.

Thank goodness.

There’s a wall ahead.

There’s a wall ahead!

He lifts a leg in an attempt to stop himself. (It doesn’t help.) Instead, he propels forward, the force of his movement causing him to collide with the wall — his head smacking on it first, followed by his entire body crumbling to the ground. The last thing he sees before it goes dark is the bright lights of the disco ball glittering above him.

It’s almost as pretty as Hoseok’s smile.

When he blinks his eyes open a moment later with a groan, he’s surrounded by a group of children who stare at him in equal parts concern and amusement. Taehyung brings his hand up to his pounding head and winces when he brushes the tender spot that must have hit the wall.

From the corner of his eye, he sees red leather bounding towards him. Hoseok .

Taehyung’s not sure how he made it across the rink, but it’s clear Hoseok’s struggling. Once he gets close to the people gathered around Taehyung, he seems to trip on his skates and lands on his knees right next to where Taehyung’s laying.

Hoseok pouts, but quickly seems to brush his pain aside as he scoots closer to the prone boy and runs his fingers through Taehyung’s hair.

He’s so sweet. Taehyung’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest.

“How are you feeling?” Hoseok gently asks.

“Hyung, I think I fell for you,” Taehyung answers with stars in his eyes.

There are a couple of groans in the crowd, though the high-pitched sound of what sounds like windshield wipers can be heard towards the back of it.

“Your brother has been a terrible influence on you,” Jimin laments as he pushes through the children and shoos them away.

It’s then that Taehyung notices the rest of their friends have formed a circle around them. But he’s soon distracted by Hoseok once more.

“I think I fell for you, too, Taehyung-ah,” Hoseok says with a quirk of his lips. Taehyung preens.

“Don’t encourage him,” Yoongi groans, pulling Seokjin towards Hoseok so that the two of them can get him off the ground.

Taehyung whines when Hoseok can no longer brush his pretty fingers through his hair.

“C’mon,” Namjoon, ever the voice of reason, says. “Let’s get you two up and off the skate floor for a while.”

He, once again, bends over to help Taehyung up. (It probably won’t be the last time.)

“Or forever,” Yoongi mumbles under his breath.

Their friends corral the two of them far away from the rink and back to the tables they had grabbed when the first arrived.

⋆ ｡˚ ⋆ ☾ ⋆ ˚｡⋆

“Why did you decide on Skate Night for our first date?” Hoseok finally asks once Taehyung has been checked over and cleared by a medic who just happened to be at the skate rink (“what are the odds, hyung?”) and supplied with a large bag of ice for his head.

Taehyung sighs as he stares at the groups of happy people whizzing by on their skates. “I just wanted to be held in your arms.” His eyes widen in alarm when he realizes what he just said. “I-I mean —”

Hoseok giggles and wraps himself around Taehyung, pulling him in close.

“Like this,” he whispers in Taehyung’s ear.

A chill runs down his spine. The best kind of chill.

“What else were you hoping for?” Hoseok asks, his voice low and sultry, and oh, does it do something to Taehyung.

“I wanted to feel your lips against mine,” Taehyung murmurs, quiet and hopeful.

Hoseok leans closer towards him, their noses almost touching. It’s Taehyung who closes the distance, a bit too eager to finally taste those perfectly shaped lips.

There is a bit of hesitancy at first, but when Hoseok deepens it, Taehyung loses all sense of his surroundings, his bag of ice falling to the floor as he wraps both arms tightly around Hoseok in an effort to meld them together.

Hoseok’s tongue darts inside his mouth, and Taehyung eagerly sucks on it, enthralled by the taste and sensation that builds inside of him.

Suddenly, a harsh hand grabs a hold of the top of Taehyung’s head and pulls him apart from Hoseok. He whines both at the loss of contact and the sharp pain that emanates from where he hit his head earlier. He looks up at his brother, who is hovering between them, his other hand wrapped in Hoseok’s hair as well.

“There are children here,” he chastises with a smirk.

Taehyung giggles and looks at Hoseok, who seems just as blissed out. When he glances back up, his brother has disappeared.

“You actually kissed me,” Taehyung says in awe, turning his attention back to the man of his dreams.

“I am your hope after all.” 

And there’s that beautiful smile once more — though, it’s much shinier than it was when Taehyung first saw him earlier this evening.

“Hyung!” Taehyung swats at him. “You’ve been hanging out with my brother too much.”

In the distance, the sound of windshield wipers can be heard. Which is odd, considering they are inside.

⋆ ｡˚ ⋆ ☾ ⋆ ˚｡⋆

“We should probably leave the roller skating for the pros,” Hoseok says as the night begins to wind down and they walk back to their campus. 

Their friends are a couple of feet in front of them, giving them some semblance of privacy.

“You’re probably right.” Taehyung sighs.

Just as they enter their building, a bulletin board catches Taehyung’s eye. A Winter Wonderland Extravaganza is approaching — and what better way to woo his new boyfriend than with hot chocolate and blankets and —

“Hyung, how do you feel about ice skating?”

⋆ ｡˚ ⋆ ☾ ⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ｡˚ ⋆ ☾ ⋆ ˚｡⋆